Clothes airers operate silently and like plants thrive on sunlight and warm air. Not exactly prone to the mushroom theory of being kept in the dark they serve without complaint. Always ready to accept large and small laundry loads they are the perfect drying machine.
In the olden days airers would be completely wooden or the basic clothes line with wooden stretcher poles. Even today the most used picture of whiter than white washing is usually blowing on a line complete with poles.
The modern housewife has other ideas to utilise her living space. A step further from the traditional clothes line is the multi way locking clothes line. This is often five lines stretched over the bath. At a four metre distance they provide up to 70 linear feet of washing line. The bathroom is often only used in the morning and then in the evening. Apart from extra bedrooms one of the most underused rooms in the home. Of course with large families and some would say especially daughters the opposite could be true. But what an excellent location for drying clothes. Especially located over the bath to catch all the drips.
Some older airers dared to incorporate a warm air electric heater in the base. Never seemed quite safe to me. Today who would need to use something, adding to your carbon footprint? No way! Today the modern clothes airer range operates as a fully natural drying system. Uses no energy at all except to take advantage of central heating turned on to heat the home.
Of course you may say there's nothing quite like the speed of a tumble dryer. And who could disagree with you but unfortunately the modern tumble dryer has no brain! It can only dry clothes by treating the complete load as one. So quick drying clothes are baked waiting for the slow drying ones to complete their cycle. Extra electricity expended for no good reason. Add all these extras together leads to gross inefficiency and an increased carbon footprint.
Well you say why not plant a tree or car share or make sure the washing machine or dishwasher are fully loaded. You may think this will compensate but remember "washing clothes is forever". That does not mean they last forever just that we will be washing laundry as long as we live! By choosing not to use the tumble dryer in favour of the clothes airer we burn no fossil fuels. Now there's a positive dark side for you!
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